This invention relates to a rotary saw blade which planes as it saws, cuts curves and dadoes. This blade is an improvement over circular saw blades which utilize hard metal inserts as cutting teeth.
Circular saw blades used in portable and table radial saws are formed of flat, circular discs made of steel. The peripheral edge of circular saw blades are notched at regular intervals. Inserts formed of tungsten carbide may be brazed to the edge of each notch facing in the direction of rotation. The outer radial edge of each insert establishes the depth of cut, while the axial edges form the width of the cut, or kerf, cut by the saw. The kerf limits the cutting movement of the saw blade to straight line cuts.
In the use of a circular saw blade, any significant deviation from a straight cut results in the kerf walls binding upon the radially inward portion of the saw blade. Less efficient saws such as a coping saw or band saw, are used to cut curves in work pieces.
Edges produced by a circular saw when cutting through a wood workpiece are normally relatively rough. The rough edges formed in a wooden workpiece are subsequently smoothed with a hand or power planer if the rough edge produced by the saw is unacceptable for the intended use.
Consequently, there is a need for a rotary saw blade which both cuts and smooths the raw edges of a kerf and permits cutting curves and dadoes by permitting movement of the saw blade axially when making a cut in addition to the normal radial movement of the blade.